1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an entertainment button device and a game machine, and more specifically to an entertainment button device having a button-up-and-down mechanism to move an entertainment button up and down, and a game machine including the entertainment button.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, a pachinko game machine includes a frame body in which a game board is set, and an opening and closing body. The opening and closing body is supported to be able to open and close by the frame body and includes a transparent plate that covers the board surface of the game board in the closed position. A tray unit having an accumulating tray to accumulate playing balls is provided below the opening and closing body (below the transparent plate). In recent years, mainstream pachinko game machines include an entertainment button device. This entertainment button device has an entertainment button that the player can push, and is set in a tray unit, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3989287, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-56085. The entertainment button device has a spring that biases the entertainment button to the moving-up direction, and is generally configured to push the entertainment button from the upper side of the tray unit.
This entertainment button device has a configuration where the entertainment button is fitted into a bottom hole formed in the upper end of the tray unit to be able to move up and down. In the normal operation position, the entertainment button is held to protrude upward from the tray unit. When the entertainment button is pushed from the normal operation position to the pushed position, and then is released from being pushed, it returns to the normal operation position and held in this position. When the button is pushed during a period of time in which the button can be operated, the push operation is detected, and therefore a specific entertainment in the game is performed. This enhances the player's sense of participation and improves the effect of the entertainment in the game.
Here, in order to improve the effect of the entertainment in a game, the applicants are developing an entertainment button for practical use, which moves from a normal operation position and a protruding position in which the entertainment button protruding upward from the normal operation position and can be accommodated in a button case.
In the entertainment button device disclosed in 3989287, the entertainment button moves between the normal operation position and the pushed position. The position in which the entertainment button is held is alternately switched between the normal operation position and the pushed position. Meanwhile, in the entertainment button device disclosed in 2009-56085, the entertainment button moves over the normal operation position, the pushed position and a protruding position in which the entertainment button protrudes much further than in the normal operation position. The position of the entertainment button is alternately switched between the normal operation position and the protruding position.
With the entertainment button device configured to move the entertainment button between the normal operation position and the protruding position in which the entertainment button protrudes outward from the normal operation position, it is possible to recognize the push operation on the entertainment button when the entertainment button is being pushed down. However, the game machine cannot distinguish between the entertainment button in the normal operation position being pushed down and the entertainment button in the protruding position being pushed down. Therefore, it is not possible to perform a suitable entertainment according to the situation.